Good news? Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson playing ICA. Bad news? You can't afford it.

Our very good friends at the Institute of Contemporary Art aren't kidding when they brag that Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson don't perform together often. They don't. But downtown's unofficial First Couple are playing together May 1 in what the ICA is touting as "their first East Coast appearance as a duo." It's such a coup that the program even has its own name, which is "The Yellow Pony and Other Songs and Stories" -- a warmup for what the Reeds are planning as a nice summer tour of Europe together. The show'll include "songs, stories, poems, and an a-capella duet of side two of Metal Machine Music." Sweet, huh?

At least it will be for those of you who happen to be flush with the spoils of our new economy. Because tickets for this thing are $300.

Actually, we're just kidding about tickets being $300. They're actually $750. Also, we made up the part about Metal Machine Music.

Don't worry, though, all the money's going to the ICA. Lord knows they need it -- you know how much it costs to bail an artist out of jail these days?